Kentucky players sound off on controversial holding call vs. Florida

Adam Spencer| 3 years ago

Kentucky RB Benny Snell Jr. took the handoff and sprinted through the hole, not being brought down until he was well within range for what would be a game-winning field-goal attempt with six seconds left.

But wait, there was a flag on the field — holding against the Wildcats. Pushed out of field-goal range, a last-second kick fell short and the Florida Gators extended their winning streak over Kentucky to 31 games in a row.

After the devastating loss, OL Nick Haynes — who was flagged for the penalty — didn’t hold back, calling it a “BS” call that cost the Wildcats the game (via 247Sports):

“It’s heartbreaking, because you pour your heart in a game, they go down and score, you get a 2-minute opportunity with 49 seconds left, you drive down the field, get in position for a fifth-year senior to make a kick that he can make all the time — and a BS call gets made and that’s just how it ended,” Haynes said.

But was it a BS call? Though it certainly was unfortunate, it’s hard to blame the referees for throwing a flag when you watch the play below:

QB Stephen Johnson also was upset with the call, but wouldn’t talk too much about it in the aftermath of the loss:

“It’s extremely frustrating,” Johnson said. “That’s all I wanna say about that cause if I say anymore, I’m gonna get myself into trouble.”

Right call or not, the Wildcats need to gather themselves and not let one loss spiral. Though they fell to 1-1 in SEC play, they proved they can play with anyone and should continue to be a force in the coming weeks.